Conventional electrical plugs are undesirable in certain environments because their housings typically protrude a substantial distance from the wall once the plug is inserted into an outlet. A protruding plug is susceptible to unintentional disengagement by moving objects, and may prevent furniture or other objects from being placed close to the wall.
Over the years a variety of plugs have been developed which have low profile housings (hereinafter referred to as "low profile plugs"). However, known low profile plugs are problematic because their prongs are not adequately supported in the housing. As a result, the prongs can be torn from the housing when the plug is removed from the outlet. In addition, low profile plugs are costly and time consuming to manufacture because of the difficulty in maintaining the proper orientation of the prongs during the molding process.
The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other problems.
More specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical plug which minimizes plug protrusion when the plug is inserted into an electrical outlet.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a low profile plug which is economical and simple to manufacture.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a low profile electrical plug which can incorporate either two electrical prongs or three electrical prongs without substantial design or manufacturing set-up changes.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and appended claims, and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.